Networked Safety Gloves for Firefighters

Developed by Ashwin Rajan and Kevin Cannon, Frontline gloves are a gesture-based communication tool designed for firefighters.

The pair of networked gloves allows two firefighters to communicate with each other using gestures in dire situations of zero-visibility and high noise levels.

Each glove contains custom-made electronics and sensors that allows communication via a wireless protocol. Simple gestures such as a thumbs up communicates the obvious “ok” while a “fist” communicates “mayday.” The corresponding icon illuminates on the partner’s glove to indicate the instruction.

Additionally, the gloves is designed with a “distance display” but it is unclear as to the if the gloves are measuring proximity to each other or simply functioning as a sonar device to avoid obstacles in low-visibility conditions.

This project is a brilliant example of wearable technology used in the context of designing safety apparel.

Networked Safety Gloves for Firefighters was last modified: August 5th, 2010 by Syuzi Pakhchyan

Syuzi Pakhchyan is a user experience designer and author with a passion for crafting next generation wearable technologies. Syuzi is reimagining the design industry with her game-changing insights on the connection between technology and the human body